Spring Practice

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Does anyone else find it to be strange that we are half way through spring practice, and nothing about it has been posted on the website?

Sadly, I think it's quite representative of the new "football culture" at Lehigh given the numerous changes that have occurred on South Mountain in recent years. Thankfully, Holy Cross and Fordham, especially Holy Cross, are operating like a well oiled machine from the top down so all is not lost for PL football fans.

[lu90]

Does anyone else find it to be strange that we are half way through spring practice, and nothing about it has been posted on the website?

Sadly, I think it's quite representative of the new "football culture" at Lehigh given the numerous changes that have occurred on South Mountain in recent years. Thankfully, Holy Cross and Fordham, especially Holy Cross, are operating like a well oiled machine from the top down so all is not lost for PL football fans.

Websites are becoming business cards. Real content is delivered solely through social media. Podcasts, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Youtube etc. I know us "old timers" don't like it, but it is the new norm. I once asked my son (early 20's), why it takes him so long to text back and his response was nobody uses text any more and I forget to look. Apparently Discord is a thing and we won't even get into the various virtual communities and hangouts. I'm just waiting for the day when a hologram pops out of my phone to tell me to my blood pressure is getting a little high.

That being said, it could be a little bit of a culture thing, a little bit of a changing of the guard in the AD's office and a little bit of the world changing around you to a different delivery vehicle. You complain about the web site not being updated on the Football board, go check out the Wrestling board. They complain incessantly because they don't hand out paper bout sheets any longer (although they complain incessantly about EVERYTHING). We sometimes wear our age poorly online.

[Sundayamqb]

Does anyone else find it to be strange that we are half way through spring practice, and nothing about it has been posted on the website?

Sadly, I think it's quite representative of the new "football culture" at Lehigh given the numerous changes that have occurred on South Mountain in recent years. Thankfully, Holy Cross and Fordham, especially Holy Cross, are operating like a well oiled machine from the top down so all is not lost for PL football fans.

Websites are becoming business cards. Real content is delivered solely through social media. Podcasts, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Youtube etc. I know us "old timers" don't like it, but it is the new norm. I once asked my son (early 20's), why it takes him so long to text back and his response was nobody uses text any more and I forget to look. Apparently Discord is a thing and we won't even get into the various virtual communities and hangouts. I'm just waiting for the day when a hologram pops out of my phone to tell me to my blood pressure is getting a little high.

That being said, it could be a little bit of a culture thing, a little bit of a changing of the guard in the AD's office and a little bit of the world changing around you to a different delivery vehicle. You complain about the web site not being updated on the Football board, go check out the Wrestling board. They complain incessantly because they don't hand out paper bout sheets any longer (although they complain incessantly about EVERYTHING). We sometimes wear our age poorly online.

+!

My kids, also in their 20s, are seven years apart. I followed the goings-on in the older one's college via the website and some Facebook. Seven years later, it's almost exclusively FB and Instagram. Sorry, but no TikTok for me, though that is where it's at for many of the teens and kids in their early 20s. I find myself on Youtube daily for other stuff.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

There has to be some level of insight or, if nothing else, rumors flying around about playing time, coaching philosophy, player thoughts etc. at this point. Where are the positive changes taking place in the spring which pay dividends in the fall? The bar was so low under Gilmore that improvement should be apparent early on in terms of cohesion/preparation/talent evaluation. Results often take a bit more time, thus a bit of patience is needed. With that said, the PL stinks outside of HC and Fordham and the OOC schedule is not THAT difficult so I don't think 5 or 6 wins is irrational so long as Lehigh can be "competent". I think we'll know what we have with the staff/team after 4-5 games relative to the previous regime. Time will then determine their collective ceiling....

[ngineer]

Feedback from those close to the program have given Cahill and the staff high marks in generating good enthusiasm and much more 'positive' vibe with the players..Given the upheaval with new transition, it is likely we may be a bit thin in terms of numbers, but there is a decent amount of quality and experience on the roster. As noted, the OOC schedule is not as daunting as last year's and feel there are at least 6 winnable games, with a couple that could be wins with a break or two. Villanova, Fordham and Holy Cross I see as "prohibitive favorites".

I am looking forward to tomorrow's scrimmage. It is no longer the "game" we knew years ago, but is should still give us a sense of our skill level and team cohesiveness. Word from a few who have seen some practices say that Silbor is 'pushing' Perri and definitely has the better arm. Question will be ability to run the offense and react to the coverages. WR Jameil has been reported as exceptional. With a strong and healthy Garcia, along with a few other good RBs, I see the key to the season being the play of the OL. Give the QB some time, and give the RB's some daylight. Defense should be good. Special teams need to elevate performance from last year. Coach K has been delegated the specific task. Hopefully, the new energy will translate into a new sense of optimism for the coming years.

[RichH]

There has to be some level of insight or, if nothing else, rumors flying around about playing time, coaching philosophy, player thoughts etc. at this point. Where are the positive changes taking place in the spring which pay dividends in the fall? The bar was so low under Gilmore that improvement should be apparent early on in terms of cohesion/preparation/talent evaluation. Results often take a bit more time, thus a bit of patience is needed. With that said, the PL stinks outside of HC and Fordham and the OOC schedule is not THAT difficult so I don't think 5 or 6 wins is irrational so long as Lehigh can be "competent". I think we'll know what we have with the staff/team after 4-5 games relative to the previous regime. Time will then determine their collective ceiling....

Agreed owl. We can speculate and hope but, as yet,we know little. The Saturday finale will help fill in some blanks. I ,also think 4-6 Ws may be possible. Key to that is an O that can score. That lack cost us 3-4 winnabe games last year. Unreasonable to expect that much in the 1st year but one can hope.

[News]

https://www.college-sports-journal.com/ ... spotlight/

Lehigh Spring Game To Feature Team’s Growth After Working Hard Out of Spotlight

Ever since the hiring of head coach Kevin Cahill in December – the first true “outsider” to be hired as a Lehigh head football coach in decades – it’s been an adjustment for everyone.

[Lehigh74]

Anyone attend the Spring game today? If so, what are your thoughts and observations?

[Hawktalker]

It was not a game, at least while I was there.
Two observations:
1. The defense appears ahead if the offense as spring camps ends.
2. Silbor seems ahead of Perri at this point

[ngineer]

It was not a game, at least while I was there.
Two observations:
1. The defense appears ahead if the offense as spring camps ends.
2. Silbor seems ahead of Perri at this point

Agreed. Of note is that a few OL were on the sidelines wearing knee braces, so a number of players (about 10) were held out for precaution. No question Silbor has a first rate arm. Some have commented that he may be the best pure passer in the Patriot League. Question will be his ability to lead the offense, master the playbook and read defenses. I suspect no decision will be made until last week of camp on the starter and we might even see both in the first few games which are OOC. Garcia has all the tools to be a beast so long as the OL can give him some creases. DiPietro provides a nice 'change up' with his shiftiness and speed.
Defense should be solid up front. The secondary is thin due to graduation and a couple transfers. However, we have a couple transfers coming in and a couple freshmen who are viewed as 'very athletic'. Question will be whether they can absorb the schemes quick enough. Recall last year, we had some horrendous breakdowns in the secondary, due to blown coverages. There has been increased emphasis on tackling.
Punter BBA looks stronger and had a number of very good punts, both distance and placement. PK is work in progress. Notre Dame HS grad Garrido appears to be the lead PK at this point. He certainly has the strongest leg..capable of hitting 50+ yards, but accuracy needs work.

The "Spring Game" really hasn't existed much in recent years, primarily due to reduced numbers and concern over injuries. The two hours were broken into about 12 different 'periods' where different drills were done as well as 'down and distance' situations. The final 20 minutes was as close to a full blown scrimmage as one could get. Several 'breaks' occurred with fans being invited to participate in some drills (i.e. kicking, punting, fumble recovery, insides kick recovery, etc). There was a much larger turnout in the stands/sidelines this year than in recent memory, so it was nice to see increased interest.

No question that this year's spring session was primarily focused on rebuilding team chemistry and culture to make sure everyone is rowing in the same direction. Some very demanding drills being run at 5:30 a.m. under the lights. Virtually an entirely new staff to acclimate amongst themselves and the team. Hope springs eternal. Once we hear/see more in August will we be able to 'project' how the season may go; preliminarily, I would like to see 4-6 wins.